Dispensing package



July 20, 1965 J. A. DRAM DISPENSING PACKAGE Filed Aug. 27, 1962 FIG. 2.

r I W411 ul F FIG. 4.

John A. Oram ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,l5,785 DESPENSEN'G PACKAGEEohn Anderson Gram, Leighton Buzzard, England, assigaor of one-third toHall, Pollock and Vaude Sande, Washington, D.., a partnership Filed Aug.27, 1952, Ser. No. 219,545 Claims priority, application Great Britain,May 17, 1962, 18,949/62 4 Qlairns. (Cl. 222--ll83) The present inventionconcerns a novel dispensing container which may be stored and sold as apackage.

It is an object of the invention to provide a novel paint container inwhich the paint can be thoroughly mixed so that all pigment is fullydispersed without shakiug or the use of special machinery for thepurpose.

It is an object of the invention to provide a paint container which isself closing and substantially non-spillable.

It is an object of the invention to provide a paint container which canbe used as a receptacle from which paint is applied by a brush or thelike in normal course and which can spill only a small portion of itstotal content volume if inadvertently overturned during paint application and the performance of related work.

It is an object of the invention to provide a paint container which issubstantially continuously sealed from the atmosphere even while paintis being dispensed, so that only a relatively small amount of paintnecessary for immediate application is exposed to the oxygen of theatmosphere whereby waste is substantially eliminated and theobjectionable formation of a tough layer or skin" of partially hardenedpaint due to exposure is avoided.

It is an object of the invention to provide a paint container having aconcave paint receiving depression in one wall thereof with aself-sealing dispensing spout so positioned with respect to saidbowl-like depression that paint can be readily forced from the containerthrough the spout and into the bowl-like depression without spilling andthe dispensing spout seals itself as soon as the dispensing force on thepaint is removed.

The invention may take the form of an open ended cardboard cylinderwhich is substantially filled with a plastic sack or bag containing aquart or half-gallon of mixed paint ready for sale. The upper, normallyopen end of the plastic sack is folded over the upper edge of thecylinder and held in firmly sealed position by the crimped flanged edgeof a dished metal closure forming a bowl-like depression from which aself-sealing dispensing spout projects. The bottom open end of the outercylinder is preferably crimped in a metal rim of U-shaped cross-sectionto give strength to the pee cage. The self-sealing dispensing spout isprovided with a positive seal cap which fits snugly over the spout andmay be threaded thereon, if desired. With the positive seal cap inplace, the plastic bag can easily be kneaded in the hand to mix thepaint thoroughly and make it ready for use. After the cap is removed,the bag may be squeezed to force paint out through a diagonal slit inthe flexible material of the spout and into the bowl-shaped depression.As soon as the bag is released, the flow of paint stops and the slit inthe spout closes of itself as the spout material returns to its normalcylindrical shape. A brush is then dipped into the paint in thedepressed top member and applied to a desired surface. Only the smallamount of paint remaining in the depression is exposed to the air or canbe spilled by an accidental, or for that matter intentional, overturningof the entire can.

Reference is made to the drawings wherein like numerals refer to likeparts throughout. The several figures are intended to be illustrativeonly and are not to be taken as limiting.

Patented duly 20, i965 In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one form the invention may take with apart of the outer wall cut away to show the plastic bag in position.

FEGURE 2 is an elevation of the container of FIG- URE 1, partiallysectioned down the middle.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary section of a modified room of the invention.

FlGURE 4 is an enlarged section of one form of crimp sealing of thecontainer package.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged section of one form of selfsealing dispensingspout of the invention.

A cardboard cylinder 1d of suitable wall thickness to give adequatestrength is preferably provided with a bottom strengthening 11 which maybe stifi plastic or metal formed into a U cross-section into which thebottom of cylinder 1% fits snugly and is firmly crimped in place asclearly shown in FIGURE 4. Inner wall 12 of U-shaped ring it extendshigh enough to afiord a firm grip on cylinder id. The outer wall ofU-shaped ring it is preferably higher than inner wall to altord fullprotection for outer wall 1% and prevent it from deforming under stress.

A plastic bag 13 containing liquid material 14 is positioned independing relation inside cylinder 10 with its edge port-on 15 foldedover the top and down the side of cylinder it A top member it of metalor stiff plastic material is formed into a segment of a sphere, to forma bowl-like depression 17 with down-turned flange llli. Flange i8extends around the upper edge of cylinder it), down the side over edgeportion 15 of plastic bag 13 and is crirnped to hold top member 16firmly in place on the upper end of cylinder 19 with the material ofplastic bag 13 and edge portion 15 securely therebetween in a liquidtight seal. The enlarged showing of this seal in FIGURE 4 is merelyillustrative. The patented .art is replete with similar seals havingadditional folds and bends and adhesive liquid-proof sealing compoundsfor assuring that this joint will withstand the forces and strains towhich it will be subjected without leaking liquid or admitting ambientair into the interior of bag 13 where it could oxidize or contaminatethe contents 14.

An inlet-outlet tube 19 is shown integral with depression 17 of topclosure member This tube or spout 19 may be a separate element having anopen flange securely fastened to the concave or convex surface ofdepression 17 and in either case communicates freely with the interiorof bag 13. Spout i9 is provided with a slit 24 which is curved upwardlyor downwardly around the cylindrical wall of spout l). The material ofspout 19 has sufiicient resilience and restoring strength to maintainslit 2% closed and substantially liquid proof until subjected to aninternal force applied to the liquid contents M which causes the closedtop 23 of spout 19 to lift and rotate slightly on a spring-like hingeformed by the unslitted portion of the cylindrical wall of spout l9separating the ends of the diagonal slit 26. The force applied by handto the liquid 14 forces slit 2%) open and the cylindrical shape of theunslit portion of the tube 19 is slightly distorted thereby. As thematerial is resilient and has spring action a restoring force isengendered which causes the tube 19 to resume its original cylindricalshape and to close diagonal slit 2% as it does so. The material of tube19 has sufiicient stiffness that the mere static weight of a pint,quart, or halfgallon of paint or other liquid 14, as the case may he,cannot alone force the slit 2% open if the entire container is turned onits side or upside down. It should be able to withstand a drop of atleast several feet onto a hard floor.

A separate permanent closure cap 22 fits snugly over the closed end 23and slit 2% of tube 19 when not in use to assure against inadverentleakage from any cause short of 3 rupture of bag 13. Cap 22 may bethreaded into place if desired.

Just as the tube 19 may be a separate element not in tegral with surface17 but firmly attached thereto by an open flanging so also may the uppersection of tube 19 containing slit 20 and closed end 23 be a separatesection of larger diameter which may be slipped over the open stub oftube 19 sealed firmly into place after the bag 13 is filled with paint.Slit 20 may also be opened by bending the tip 23 by hand or machine forfilling or dispensing.

The tube 19 may be displaced from center as at 19 in FIGURE 3 to permitsqueezing the remnants of contents outof bag 13 and to allow the easyuse of a larger brush or paint roller, especially in the smaller pintsizes.

The container 13 is preferably filled through tube 19 though the plasticbag 13 or surface 17 may be readily punctured and resealed for suchpurpose. In the preferred form, the bag 13 is first collapsed bywithdrawing as much air as practicable before filling, which may becomplete, leaving no voids. The flexible character of bag 13 allows forexpansion and one feature of the invention is the elimination of anoxidizing atmosphere within the can at all times. If gas space is deemednecessary, nitrogen or carbon dioxide can be introduced or only a smallamount of air permitted to remain.

The device lends itself to other uses such as a supply of liquid foodfor birds and animals. Multiple feedings are practicable from the samecontainer while travelling or when medication is desired. Depression 17provides a feeding bowl and may be marked by suitable lines to indicatea measured quantity which may be accurately dispensed.

For the storage of the dispensing package on shelves and in warehousesit is desirable to provide a nesting construction so as to lendstability to stacks of the dispensing containers. To this end the bottomrim 11 may be inset slightly to nest in the upper portion 16. This ispreferably accomplished by an internal flanging which is turned inwardlyand downwardly to give a firm nesting relation with the upper edge 16 ofthe dispensing package next below in the stack.

While there have been described above what are presently believed to bethe preferred forms of the invention variations thereof will be obviousto those skilled in the art and all such changes and variations whichfall within the spirit of the invention are intended to be coveredby thegeneric terms in the appended claims, which are variably worded to thatend.

I claim:

1. A dispensing package for liquids, said package having a relativelystifi outer wall member of sufficient strength and a base broad enoughto support the package in an upright stable position, a collapsibleclosed inner member supported by said outer member, outlet means forsaid inner member, said outer member having means to facilitate theapplication of force to the flexible closed inner member to dispensecontents of the package, a recessed upper closure for said outer member,said inner member 7 comprising a plastic bag the edges of which areclamped between the upper edge of said outer wall member and saidclosure in liquid sealing relation, said recess forming an openreservoir for a limited amount of liquid to be dispensed by the package,said reservoir being concave and covering the major part of saidclosure, said outlet means comprising a slotted tube projecting into theconcave side of said upper closure and positioned to dispense liquidinto said reservoir, said reservoir being readily accessible for therepeated application of said liquid in use.

2. A dispensing package for liquids comprising a substantiallycylindrical outermember of sufficient structural strength to supportsaid package with its liquid contents in air and liquid tightconditions, a collapsible inner bag member, dispensing outlet means forsaid inner bag member, means attaching said inner bag member firmly tosaid outer member and comprising a flanged closure member gripping oneend of said outer .member to form a liquid tight seal with the edge ofsaid bag member firmly fastened between said closure member and saidouter member, said flanged closure member being recessed to provide anopen reservoir for said package for. receiving a limited amount ofliquid dispensed by the package, said cylindrical outer member having anopen bottom to'facilitate the deforming of said inner member for mixingand for the dispensing of the contents of said package, said flangedclosure member mounting said dispensing outlet means in communicationwith the interior of said inner bag member for the controlled dispensingof said liquid contents into said reservoir whereby a small quantity ofliquid dispensed intosaid reservoir may be used and the supply renewedas needed, said dispensing outlet means being constructed to open into adispensing condition in response to the application of a deforming forceto said inner bag and to close upon the removal of such deforming forcewhereby an upsetting. of said package will spill only the quantity ofcontents present in said recess, and means for selectively maintainingsaid dispensing outlet meansclosed during the deformation of said innerbag for mixing the contents prior to dispensing.

3. The combination set forth in claim 2, said recess in said flangedclosure member being a segment of a sphere and said dispensing outletmeans comprising atube having a diagonal slot therein.

4. The combination set forth in claim 3, said outer member having areinforcing element around its open edge to maintain the shape of thepackage and to aid in pro,- tecting the inner bag member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 798,093 8/05Dean. 1,909,627 5/33 Opper 222 49o I 2,671,579 3/54 Knoblock 22292X2,804,995 9/57 Fee 222-95 3,131,833 5/64 Campbell a 61 222-183 x LOUISJ. DEMBQ'Primary Examiner.

1. A DISPENSING PACKAGE FOR LIQUIDS, SAID PACKAGE HAVING A RELATIVELYSTIFF OUTER WALL MEMBER OF SUFFICIENT STRENGTH AND A BASE BROAD ENOUGHTO SUPPORT THE PACKAGE IN AN UPRIGHT STABLE POSITION, A COLLAPSIBLECLOSED INNER MEMBER SUPPORTED BY SAID OUTER MEMBER, OUTLET MEANS FORSAID INNER MEMBER, SAID OUTER MEMBER HAVING MEANS TO FACILITATE THEAPPLICATION OF FORCE TO THE FLEXIBLE CLOSED INNER MEMBER TO DISPENSECONTENTS OF THE PACKAGE, A RECESSED UPPER CLOSURE FOR SAID OUTER MEMBER,SAID INNER MEMBER COMPRISING A PLASTIC BAG THE EDGES OF WHICH ARECLAMPED BETWEEN THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID OUTER WALL MEMBER AND SAIDCLOSURE IN LIQUID SEALING RELATION, SAID RECESS FORMING AN OPENRESERVOIR FOR A LIMITED AMOUNT OF LIQUID TO BE DISPENSED BY THE PACKAGE,SAID RESERVOIR BEING CONCAVE AND COVERING THE MAJOR PART OF SAIDCLOSURE, SAID OUTLET MEANS COMPRISING A SLOTTED TUBE PROJECTING INTO THECONCAVE SIDE OF SAID UPPER CLOSURE AND POSITIONED TO DISPENSE LIQUIDINTO SAID RESERVOIR, SAID RESERVOIR BEING READILY ACCESSIBLE FOR THEREPEATED APPLICATION OF SAID LIQUID IN USE.